TwelveSticks
Member Since: 16 Jan 2010
Location: Dublin
Posts: 798
  
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| Charging problems - advice needed |
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Well, it's summertime, I'm in rural France and the first of 2-weeks of visitors have just arrived. So it must be time for the D3 to let me down, right? Yup...
Over the past couple of weeks, I've noticed a slight whining on acceleration for the first few minutes after starting up. I suspected the fan/auxiliary belt was slipping, but in all honesty I crossed my fingers and hoped it'd not give me any problems until I got back to Dublin at the end of the month.
On the way to the airport yesterday, I got a red, battery-warning light coming on intermittently. I pressed on (I had no choice!) and picked up our guests, then headed for the hour-long drive home. About a mile from home, the cruise control switched itself off and wouldn't stay on, this being shortly followed by all sorts of chaos from the dashboard - bongs, flashing yellow lights and messages about the HDC not working. Thankfully, we got home, elderly passengers safe and sound.
This morning, she wouldn't start. The battery was fairly flat, so on went the charger. After a couple of hours she had enough juice to start, but all the dashboard chaos persisted - the power to the radio kept switching itself on and off etc. I tried clearing faults with FaultMate, but they just came back. A test drive revealed much more consistent whining when under any load. The battery is showing just 10V on tick-over.
I had the covers off and checked the auxiliary belt - seems to be quite tight, but I've nothing to compare it to. So.. .given that I am in rural France, 1 hour from the nearest LR Dealer, and on a Sunday(!), I need some advice from you experts out there, please!
1. Do you think I'm right in diagnosing this as a belt/tensioner problem?
2. How does the tensioner work (and how does it tend to fail)?
3. It looks like it would be an easy enough job to change the tensioner, should I be able to get my hands on one. Is it?
Any advice at all would be gratefully digested...  2001 D2 GS (I must be mad!)
2005 D3 S 10-12 (gone and missed)
Last edited by TwelveSticks on 6th Aug 2012 12:02 pm. Edited 3 times in total
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 5th Aug 2012 1:58 pm |
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ELD70
Member Since: 28 Jan 2008
Location: Romford.
Posts: 901
 
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Sounds very much like your alternator is knackered to me. All the other posts which are the same are  alternator.
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| 5th Aug 2012 2:04 pm |
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TwelveSticks
Member Since: 16 Jan 2010
Location: Dublin
Posts: 798
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Would it whine if it was just the alternator though? I suppose, if it was seized... 2001 D2 GS (I must be mad!)
2005 D3 S 10-12 (gone and missed)
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| 5th Aug 2012 2:07 pm |
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TwelveSticks
Member Since: 16 Jan 2010
Location: Dublin
Posts: 798
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If it is the alternator, what's the best way to confirm this? Start it (after charging again), then monitor the voltage on the battery terminals and see what it does over time after starting? What should I be looking for? 2001 D2 GS (I must be mad!)
2005 D3 S 10-12 (gone and missed)
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| 5th Aug 2012 2:14 pm |
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TwelveSticks
Member Since: 16 Jan 2010
Location: Dublin
Posts: 798
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Found a very friendly Land Rover independent garage nearby and he reckons it's the alternator too. Also lent me a car to drive until it's fixed - so here's to the Disco 1 driving experience! 2001 D2 GS (I must be mad!)
2005 D3 S 10-12 (gone and missed)
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| 6th Aug 2012 12:03 pm |
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NJSS
Member Since: 06 May 2009
Location: Catherington, Hampshire.
Posts: 10736
 
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I have a house & France, and tour the rest of the country quite often.
If you local indy proves to be OK will you please post his details?
Don't forget alternators can be rebuilt.
Good luck.
NJSS Am I Gammon or Woke ? - I neither know nor care.
2016 Discovery 4 Landmark
2011 Mercedes Benz SL350 (R230)
1973 MG B GT V8 - 3.9L John Eales engine, 5 speed R380 gearbox, since 1975.
1959 MGA roadster - 1.9L Peter Burgess Engine - 5 speed gearbox
Past LRs - Multiple FFRs, Discos & a Series I - some petrol, some diesel,
none Electric or H2 fuel cell - yet.
There are 10 types of people in this world: Those who understand binary, and those who don’t.
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| 6th Aug 2012 12:37 pm |
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NJSS
Member Since: 06 May 2009
Location: Catherington, Hampshire.
Posts: 10736
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Thanks
I knew of them, but would like to hear of someone closer to Paimpol/Treguier - North Brittany.
I just posted in your other thread!
NJSS Am I Gammon or Woke ? - I neither know nor care.
2016 Discovery 4 Landmark
2011 Mercedes Benz SL350 (R230)
1973 MG B GT V8 - 3.9L John Eales engine, 5 speed R380 gearbox, since 1975.
1959 MGA roadster - 1.9L Peter Burgess Engine - 5 speed gearbox
Past LRs - Multiple FFRs, Discos & a Series I - some petrol, some diesel,
none Electric or H2 fuel cell - yet.
There are 10 types of people in this world: Those who understand binary, and those who don’t.
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| 25th Aug 2012 4:33 pm |
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